国内英语新闻:Senior CPC leader urges better handling of petitions in 2011

BEIJING, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- A Senior Communist Party of China (CPC) leader Tuesday said government and Party officials should make more effort to deal with petitions and resolve public grievances.

Zhou Yongkang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, made the remarks at a meeting in Beijing, where officials discussed work on petitions this year.

Despite a drop in petition numbers last year, China would still face a lot public petitions this year since some people still had living difficulties while there were still too many social management problems, Zhou said.

Government officials and Party cadres, particularly those at city and county levels, should meet petitioners in person and handle their appeals on a one-on-one basis, he said.

Greater efforts must be paid to address unresolved petitions within a time limit, and to prevent more petitions at root by avoiding risks to stability in making policies, said Zhou, who is also the secretary of the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the CPC Central Committee.

Zhou said the government must not simply reject public petitions and should instead meet people's legitimate demands in petitions.

Petitioners who disrupt public order should be handled in accordance with the law, he said.